BAEBLE CONCERTS: Damien Jurado at The Knitting Factory

Seated in a chair, dressed in plain clothes, and singing with his eyes closed, Jurado doesn't have an ounce of rock star pretension. He's not in this profession to make money or meet girls. Listening to his fingerplucked songs, though, you get the idea that this is something Jurado has to do. While other crooners write earnest love songs, Jurado specializes in dark, confessional material. This is the singer's outlet - perhaps the only way that he can purge himself of melancholic feelings - and his emotional catharsis is our listening pleasure.

On album, Jurado's guitar-and-voice combo is underscored by light strings and minimal electronics. Here, his wistful voice is front and center, backed only by his own guitar, Eric Fisher's pitter-patter drums, and Jenna Conrad's harmonies and cello lines. Such singer/songwriters are part of a long tradition, one that spans the entire lifetime of the acoustic guitar, and Jurado is more than qualified to carry on the torch.

-Andrew Leahey